Coming Home
by mysticgirl916
Summary: Will returns home to Ohio and reunites with Emma after his time in Washington comes to an end. Inspired by the song "Comin' Home" by the Rembrandts
1. Will - The Night Before

"Sing something, Will!"

"Yeah, aren't you the coach of the defending national show choir champions?"

"And I heard you were a glee club kid back in the day too. Come on, give us a song!"

It was the last day of the blue ribbon arts education panel in Washington, and everyone had gathered at a local hall they had rented for a final-night party before those who had come in from elsewhere returned home the next day – there was lots of food and even a live band performing some good cover versions of classic pop and rock songs. Over the three months they had been together, the members of the panel thought they had come up with some excellent ideas on how to improve arts education, and they couldn't wait to see those ideas put into action.

For Will Schuester, the high school history teacher and glee club coach from small-town Ohio, it had been a rewarding experience.

He might have been one of the "young guns" of the panel and at first he thought he didn't belong there, but he had grown in confidence over time and talked passionately about his time coaching New Directions and how it had changed his students' lives despite all the obstacles that had been thrown their way over the last three years. Two of his graduates were now at the New York Academy of Dramatic Arts (one of them having recently been given the top honor at their winter showcase), another was in Chicago on a dance scholarship, yet another was in Los Angeles as a session singer while still keeping up classes at UCLA and the rest were forging their own paths in the world. In a way, if it weren't for glee club, Will wouldn't be in Washington helping to make a difference for arts education on a national level. He couldn't wait to return home and continue helping out with the glee club alongside Finn even though their competition season had come to an abrupt end, and he still had a wedding to plan with Emma – after much talk, they had decided to marry on Valentine's Day and invitations to the event had already been sent out. Emma had already told Shannon and the kids, and they were thrilled.

* * *

After much persuasion, applause and good-natured teasing, Will agreed to perform for the rest of his colleagues. He went over to the stage where the band had just finished a song and talked to them about a song he had in mind, the drummer nodding his head that they indeed know the one he wanted to sing. He then picked up a guitar that had been sitting on a stand in front of the drum set, slung the strap over his shoulder and played a few quick chords to warm up before saying a few words.

"I just wanted to say that it's been an honor and a privilege to work with you over these last few months," he said into the microphone, "and I hope that what we've done will help improve things because we all know that the arts is important. I'm looking forward to returning home to Ohio tomorrow to continue what I love to do, and the song I'm about to sing for you echoes those feelings. I'm sure those of you who came from out of state will feel the same way too." Giving a little nod to the band, the drummer counted off the beat before launching into the short opening riff, and the rest of the band joined in. Will had chosen it from an old CD he had in his collection, he had listened to it one night in his hotel room and thought the song was perfect to express how he felt about going home to Lima, especially to Emma. Doing a couple of vocal riffs to start, he then began to sing.

_Sitting at the gate, I didn't have a reservation  
Couldn't turn away, hoping for a cancellation  
Take me to the sky, take me to my inspiration  
Only one more day  
_

_I'm diving through the sky, thinking 'bout the situation  
I thought that I would die, laughing at the complication  
I couldn't sleep a wink, wondering what I would say to you  
In one more day...and I'll be on my way  
And with the love I long to hold  
Oh there's nothing like the feeling of coming home  
I'm coming home _

He was really getting into the song, of course thinking about Emma as he performed. He could also see that his colleagues were getting into it, some nodding their heads in time to the music, others dancing and clapping along – he was reaching them!

_I'm at the carousel, I see you from across the station  
Something in my eye, or is it my imagination?  
It's been a long time, we got a lot of catching up to do  
Only one more day-I'll be here to stay  
And with the love I long to hold  
No there's nothing like the feeling of coming home  
'Cause I'm coming home…Coming home  
Oh baby I'm coming home  
_

_Coming home-I'm coming home  
I'm coming home to you  
_

_What a holiday, we're gonna have a celebration  
Everybody sing, everybody's jubilating  
Have another drink, I didn't mean to keep you waiting  
Only one more day, and I'll be on my way  
But you'll never be alone, if you save the love you're feeling till I get home  
'Cause I'm coming home  
Coming home  
Whoa baby I'm coming home to you now!_

Throwing in a few more vocal riffs for good measure, the band played one last section and ended on a sustained fade-out note from the lead guitarist. A few seconds of silence from the rest of the panel followed, then wild applause.

"For a guy from small-town Ohio," said one of the older members of the panel, "you certainly know how to rock!" The rest of the panel members agreed.

And all Will could do was stand on that stage behind the microphone and smile.

* * *

Back in the room of his hotel after the party, Will lifted the photo of him and Emma off the nightstand by his bed and placed it gently in his suitcase. It had been taken after the ceremony at McKinley a couple of days after New Directions won nationals when he had won the Teacher of the Year award, the entire year was one he would never forget. As he continued to pack, all his thoughts kept drifting back to home and how in a few short weeks from now, he would be marrying the one true love of his life with the kids he loved so much celebrating with them.

All things definitely worth coming home for.


	2. Emma - The Night Before

At the same time Will and his colleagues were celebrating the end of their time in Washington, Emma was back home at their apartment in Lima, having just gotten home from McKinley. Since receiving the phone call from Will about when he was returning home, she had been excited for several days and it had truly shown at work. With help from her fiancé via a Skype chat, she had sent out invitations to friends and glee club alumni in the form of her quirky pamphlets while sending out traditional invites to family.

"So You're Invited To Our Wedding," the pamphlet invites had said, a cartoon doodle of the couple in wedding outfits on the cover. An actual photo of them was inside with the date, time and location of the wedding ceremony.

On Valentine's Day, she would be Emma Pillsbury no more. She was going to become Emma Schuester, and she thought it had a nice ring to it.

It had taken all her courage to talk to her parents about the wedding and how much she loved Will, and luckily she had help from her soon-to-be in-laws who absolutely fell in love with her after she had spent the Christmas holiday with them when Will came home from Washington for the break. While the couple was out of the house having dinner, the Schuesters had explained to the Pillsburys about how their son was a kind, caring person who loved Emma with all his heart – it had in fact been her that convinced Will to stick with teaching and continue with the glee club when he was considering quitting for a higher-paying job. Rose had eventually come around but Rusty was still a little unconvinced, so the elder Mr. Schuester had a long man-to-man and let him in on the fact that it was his son that inspired him to go back to law school, and that he was inspiring Emma to seek help to become a better person despite her problems. After what Will's dad had said, he too had finally come around.

"Emma," Rusty had said when she returned, "I was wrong about Will. He may not be a ginger like us, but from what you and his parents have told me, he really is a good man who will take care of you. You're my daughter, and all Rose and I want is for you to be happy."

"Oh, Daddy!" Emma had exclaimed, weeping in her father's arms. "You have no idea how much he means to me!"

* * *

After changing into some comfortable clothes and making a quick meal for herself, Emma decided to tackle cleaning the apartment. With Will due to come home the next day, it felt only right for her to make sure that everything was neat and tidy for his return. Even the glee kids were excited about his return, Blaine and Sam had visited her a couple of weeks ago for some college counseling with some interesting news regarding the fallout at sectionals that they asked her to swear not to tell him until he came back, so she promised to do so. And Finn had talked with her often for some guidance towards steering the glee club in a positive direction as its interim director. She gathered her cleaning supplies, then picked up a case that contained her CD collection – she loved listening to music while she cleaned, whether it was from a CD on the stereo or even Will sitting on the couch playing songs on his guitar. Flipping through it, her eyes landed on one she hadn't listened to in ages, and it was still in excellent condition.

_The Rembrandts: LP_

Emma had been a fan of the show _Friends_ when she was a teenager, and she knew that this was the duo who performed its theme song – it was the bonus track on this particular album. She slid the disc out of its protective pocket, carefully inserted it into the stereo and pressed play, the first track filling the room as she stood up and picked up one of the buckets to fill with water and cleaner. She had a lot of work to do in preparation for the next day.

* * *

By the time the eleventh track had ended, she had gotten a lot done and had been proud of her efforts, she had always found cleaning to be very therapeutic. The twelfth track was starting while she was dusting the living room, it was called "Coming Home" and it had a very good beat, perfect for her to keep a steady dusting rhythm. But this time around, there was just something about it that got Emma thinking about Will and his return, it was almost as if he was singing the song directly to her.

_Take me to the sky, take me to my inspiration  
Only one more day_

One more day exactly, he would be flying into Dayton airport in the early evening. It was only about a one-hour flight from Washington, which was how he was able to come home to Lima often. But this time, he was going to be here to stay.

_I couldn't sleep a wink, wondering what I would say to you  
In one more day...and I'll be on my way_

What was she going to say aside from the news that she promised Sam and Blaine that she would keep a secret?

_And with the love I long to hold  
Oh there's nothing like the feeling of coming home  
I'm coming home_

It really did feel like Will was singing an affirmation to her through this song as she continued to dust and straighten things up in the living room. She looked at the framed photo of her and Will with the glee kids in their nationals costumes just after they won. She had often been called their lucky charm and biggest cheerleader aside from Will of course, others in the group equated her to being like a second mother.

_It's been a long time, we got a lot of catching up to do  
In one more day, I'll be here to stay_

Certainly they had a lot of catching up to do. She couldn't wait to hear about all the wonderful things Will and his colleagues had achieved over the last few months, and of course tell him about everything that was happening here. And of course, they still had the rest of the wedding to plan, which was sure to be a time that they would never forget.

_But you'll never be alone, if you save the love you're feeling till I get home_

All the initial worrying and fighting over him going had been worth it in the end, just another day more until they were back together, her safe in his strong arms. Smiling, she went back to work as the next track on the CD started.


	3. Will and Emma - Reunion

_Oh baby I'm coming home…_

"Have a safe flight home, Will. And good luck with your glee club the rest of the year."

Will smiled and nodded at Nicole, one of the panel members who came from out of town as she passed by him on her way to her gate to catch her flight home to St. Louis. He sat in the waiting area at his departure gate at Dulles Airport, boarding pass in hand and his backpack at his feet, patiently anticipating the call to board his plane to Dayton, Emma waiting on the other end to pick him up so they could return home to Lima together. Reflecting on his time in Washington, he had deemed the experience a rewarding one and had learned a lot in the process – it had truly been worth it in the end. He and the rest of the panel were honored to have attended the presidential inauguration ceremony, and of course the final night party where he had sung in front of his colleagues had been a lot of fun. But he still had business to finish back home, he had to get the glee club through the rest of the year since their competition run had ended so abruptly. In fact, he was seriously considering taking Finn on as his assistant, he reminded himself to talk to his former student about that.

And of course, there was the wedding.

"Ladies and gentlemen, United Airlines flight 5317 to Dayton is now ready for general boarding," the gate attendant announced after priority boarding finished. "Please have your boarding pass and one piece of photo identification ready for inspection before boarding the aircraft, thank you." Getting up from his seat, Will slung his backpack over his shoulder and headed over to the entranceway to the tunnel where another attendant was waiting. When it was his turn, he showed his pass and ID to the attendant who then ushered him by and walked into the tunnel.

It was time to head home.

* * *

_I'm coming home to you…_

Emma made sure that the apartment was totally clean and adjusted the black cardigan she wore over her black-and-white floral print dress. Will was due to arrive in Dayton very soon and she had to get to the airport soon if she wanted to pick him up – the flight was about the same time as the drive to Dayton from Lima. Picking up her purse and keys from the front hall table, she locked the door behind her and went down to the parking garage, got into her car and pulled out.

All the way to the airport, she hummed the song she had gravitated to during her cleaning the night before she thought of everything that had happened since Christmas and everything that was still to come, Finn and the kids had helped her through a lot. She had to admit to herself that she was very nervous about the wedding (in fact, she had been a total wreck during the final planning stages), but knew in her heart that Will was the right person for her – she got engaged to Ken because she didn't want to be alone while Will was still with Terri, and her marriage to Carl didn't last either.

All because of one thing: those two weren't Will. Even Holly Holiday had that figured out when her relationship with Carl was fizzling out.

_They do say that third time's a charm,_ Emma thought as she found a spot in the parking garage and walked into the terminal. She stopped by a small shop near the arrivals area and purchased a single rose wrapped in plastic tied with a red ribbon, then checked the arriving flight information on the monitors, matching it with the information written on a sheet of paper that Will had given her when he had called her a couple of days ago.

_United Airlines 5317 | Washington DC (IAD) | 19:30 | On Time_

* * *

The plane connected with the gate and came to a stop.

Undoing his seat belt, Will got up from his seat and picked up his backpack, slinging it over his shoulder and waited for his turn to disembark the aircraft. When it came, the flight attendant at the door thanked him for flying, and he walked down the tunnel into the terminal, headed for the baggage claim area. Collecting his luggage off the carousel, he adjusted the grip on the handle of his guitar case and walked towards the doors leading towards the terminal.

He noticed her right away.

* * *

The arrival board changed, the status for the Washington flight now read "Arrived".

Emma stood and waited, still clutching the single red rose in her hands. Other people stood nearby, waiting for family and friends coming in on the flight. She knew he still had to get his luggage before entering the terminal, and as the arrival doors opened and people streamed out, she noticed among the crowd a young man wearing jeans, a white T-shirt under a black leather jacket and sneakers rolling a suitcase behind him and carrying a guitar case in the other hand.

She recognized that head of curly hair anywhere.

* * *

"Emma!" Will exclaimed as he quickened his walk towards her, dropping his luggage at his side when the two finally came face to face. He extended his arms out towards her, and she fell into his embrace, knowing that finally he was home to stay. She gave him the rose after being in that hug for some time, then took his hand firmly in hers.

"I'm so glad you're home," Emma said, "things in Lima just weren't the same without you. I'm proud of what you've accomplished during your time in Washington though." Indeed, he and the rest of the panel successfully lobbied Congress to decrease cuts to arts education by 15 percent, which was a huge victory in itself. Their other ideas were in discussion and still under review.

"I have to ask," Will said, "how is glee club doing?"

"They're doing great," Emma replied, "and they're all excited about the wedding. The kids staged a Sadie Hawkins dance that was a huge success, I wasn't there but Shannon was. We just finished up a Diva Week, oh Will, you would have been so proud of Tina – she surprised us all. Let's see what else… oh, right. The kids also rallied to put together a calendar featuring the boys in the club, again the idea was all Tina. It sold extremely well, and they raised more than enough money to rent their bus to go to regionals in Indianapolis."

"Hold on there, Em," said Will, "we're not going to regionals this year. Remember the Warblers won and Marley fainted?" He couldn't help but notice that Emma's lips had curved upward into a smile as he spoke.

"Is there something I don't know?" he asked.

"The Warblers cheated," Emma said seriously, a look of surprise on Will's face. "Sam found out that their captain was injecting the team members with steroids, you saw their choreography during their first song – a former teammate of Blaine's confirmed the story. It was all over the local news, and Sam and Blaine swore me not to tell you until you came home. So they were disqualified, and New Directions is going instead. They're getting a second chance, Will!" All of a sudden, that look of shock had turned into a smile.

"I hope they're not going to take this second chance lightly," he said, "cause we both know what they're capable of." He saw Emma take the handle of his suitcase as he picked up the guitar case, their free hands now locked tightly in each other's.

"Shall we return to Lima then?" he asked. "We've still got a wedding to get ready for." Emma nodded, and together they walked towards the terminal exit, lost in each other's loving gaze.

The song was right. There really was nothing like the feeling of coming home.


End file.
